/ 



N^r 



No. 326. *t) 



HOW THEY DIED; 



OR. 



LAST WORDS OF AMERICAN PRES- 
BYTERIAN MINISTERS. 



/ BY 

ALFEED NEVIN, D.D, LL.D. 



" Willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present 
with the Lord,"— 2 Cor. v. 8. y^\sS^ Vo^VRJGh t ^V^v 



ibfr&'O 



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(i prtjbyteeian boaed of publication, .; 

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THE TRUSTEES OF THE 

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Stereotypers and Electrotypers, Philada, 



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A*- 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Alexander, Archibald, D.D 13 

Andrews, Kev. Wells 14 

Balch, Hezekiah, D.D 14 

Beecher, Lyman, D.D 15 

Blair, Eev. John D 16 

Blair, Rev. Samuel e 17 

Blatchford, Samuel, D.D ... 17 

Bracken, Rev. Reid 18 

Breckinridge, John, D.D 18 

Brown, James M., D.D 19 

Buell, Samuel, D.D 19 

Camp, Rev. Phineas... 20 

Carmichael, Rev. John ~. 20 

Cheeseman, Lewis, D.D.... .., 20 

Cheever, Rev. Ebenezer 21 

Cheney, Rev. Mr 21 

Coffin, Charles, D.D 21 

Comingo, Henry G., D.D 22 

Crothers, Samuel, D.D 22 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Danforth, Joshua N., D.D 23 

Dickinson, Kev. Jonathan 23 

Doolittle, Kev. Giles 23 

Finley, Samuel, D.D 24 

Flinn, Andrew, D.D 25 

Ford, Eev. Joshua E , 25 

Fullerton, Kev. Kobert S 26 

Gayley, Kev. Samuel K 27 

Glenn, Kev. Kobert 27 

Hall, Charles, D.D 28 

Harrison, Jephtha, D.D 28 

Hibben, Kev. Samuel 28 

Hodge, Charles, D.D., LL.D 29 

Huggins, Kev. William S 30 

Hughes, Kev. David 30 

Johnson, Kev. E. K 31 

King, John, D.D 31 

Kirkpatrick, Kev. John 31 

Kollock, Henry, D.D , 32 

Latta, William, D.D 32 

Laurie, James, D.D ... 33 

Linn, John B., D.D 34 

Lloyd, Kev. Charles H 34 

Lowrie, John M., D.D 35 

McGinnis, Kev. James Y 36 

Macmaster, Erasmus, D.D 36 



CONTENTS. 5 

PAGE 

Magill, Eev. Charles B. 38 

Mason, Erskine, D.D . 38 

Mair, Hugh, D.D ~ 38 

Morrison, William, D.D 39 

Nelson, David, M.D 39 

Nisbet, Charles, D.D 40 

Patterson, Rev. Joseph. 40 

Peebles, Eev. John » 41 

Perrine, Matthew La Rue, D.D 41 

Pettibone, Rev. Roswell 41 

Porter, Rev. George D 42 

Ralston, Samuel, D.D 43 

Reid, William Shields, D.D 43 

Rice, John H., D.D 44 

Rodgers, Rev. James, D.D 44 

Robinson, Rev. Ralph , 45 

Romeyn, John B., D.D 46 

Russel, Rev. Moses 46 

Simonton, Rev. Ashbel G 47 

Smith, Josiah D., D.D , ._ 47 

Squier, Miles P., D.D 48 

Spencer, Ichabod S., D.D. 48 

Steel, Robert, D.D 49 

Stockton, Rev. Joseph , « 50 

Stratton, Rev. Daniel 50 

Studdiford, Peter O., D.D 51 



6 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Tait, Eev. Samuel 52 

Taylor, Stephen, D.D 52 

Templeton, Eev. Samuel M 52 

Tennent, Kev. John , 53 

Thomson, George M., D.D 54 

Thorn, Kev. John C 55 

Tucker, Eev. E. K 55 

Tuttle, Eev. Jacob 56 

Vandyke, Eev. John P 56 

Wallace, Eev. Benjamin J 57 

Waugh, Eev. Samuel 57 

Westervelt, Eev. Samuel D 58 

White, Henry, D.D 58 

Williams, Eev. Lewis W 59 

Wilson, James Patriot, D.D 60 

Wilson, Eev. Eobert W 61 

Wright, Edward W., D.D 61 



INTRODUCTION. 



"Our Saviour Jesus Christ hath abolished death" 
(2 Tim. i. 10). The word which is rendered " abol- 
ished" signifies also "made of none effect:" "He 
hath abolished death, or made death of none effect." 
He has not abolished going home and falling asleep 
and departing, but he has abolished death. He has 
turned the curse into a blessing ; he has made of 
the enemy a friend. If we are Christians, instead 
of robbing us it relieves, it enriches ; it is the mak- 
ing of us for ever. To die is gain ! 

" Why do we mourn departing friends 

Or shake at death's alarms ? 
'Tis but the voice that Jesus sends 
To call them to his arms." 

Many professed followers of Christ, notwithstand- 
ing he has triumphed over the last enemy for his 
people, are "all their lifetime subject to bondage 
through fear of death." Nor, in one view, is this 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

strange. It is at least reconcilable with a firm faith 
on their part that for them death has been conquered 
and rendered harmless. The serpent, as has well 
been said, may hiss when it cannot bite. (The poison- 
ous fang may be extracted before our eyes, and yet 
we may feel dread at taking the harmless adder into 
our bosom.) There is embedded in our very nature 
an instinctive repulsion to dissolution. The apostles 
themselves, who had the first-fruits of the Spirit, 
said, " In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be 
clothed upon with our house which is from heaven : 
if so be that, being clothed, we shall not be found 
naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, 
being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed, 
but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed 
up of life." What wonder, therefore, if ordinary 
Christians feel the same? This feeling is certainly 
not to be regarded as evidence that they do not love 
Christ and long to be with him, any more than the 
absentee whose estate and wife and children are in 
a foreign land, and whose heart is there also, yet, 
when looking on the vast Atlantic, shudders and 
shrinks back, may warrantably, from this fact, 
question his love to them or his desire to be with 
them. 

As Jesus has abolished death as a penalty for his 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

people, of course all believers die safely: there is no 
curse for them after death or in death. Well may 
those who believe enter into rest; well may they 

sing, 

"If sin be pardoned, I'm secure: 

Death has no sting beside ; 
The law gives sin its damning power, 
But Christ, my Eansom, died." 

And it may not be doubted that the dying of 
Christians is commonly much favored in the actual 
experience. Anxieties and forebodings which were 
painfully felt by them with regard to departure 
from the world are in a great degree dispelled and 
destroyed by the event itself. When the hour has 
arrived, they have mercy and grace to help in time 
of need, and, amazed at their former apprehensions 
and their present feelings, say, 

" Tell me, my soul, 
Can this be death f" 

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art 
with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 

Still, it is true that there is great diversity in the 
experience of Christians in their final hours. Some 
die only safe, while their state is unknown to them- 
selves and suspected by others ; in some hope and 



10 INTRODUCTION, 

fear alternately prevail; some feel a peace which 
passeth all understanding ; while some exult with 
a joy unspeakable and full of glory. There is every 
form and phase of experience, from that of Cowper, 
who died in despair, to that of Hervey, who said, 
" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, 
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." It is not 
necessary here minutely to inquire into all the 
reasons of the diversity just stated. It is enough to 
know that there are cases in which Christians may 
be affected all through life — even up to the closing 
scene — by something morbid in their constitution 
which subjects them to various changes and depres- 
sions with which religion has no concern. Con- 
stitutional malady causes their hope to contend with 
fear which they are not always able to repel, if, in- 
deed, through its influence, they do not die under a 
cloud of darkness and a load of depression. Such 
was the condition of the heavenly bard just named, 
and such has been that of hundreds of others. They 
have departed under a physical depression with 
which religious encouragements contended in vain. 
But, though their end was not peace in the exit, it 
was peace in the issue. Their despondency did not 
aifect their right to the tree of life. They con- 
demned themselves, but God delighted in them. 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

It is always a matter for thanksgiving when 
Christians possess and display the full assurance of 
hope, and with triumph exchange "the earthly house 
of this tabernacle " for the " building of God, the 
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 
In them is fulfilled the language of the promise, 
" With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: 
they shall enter into the King's palace." They are 
"joyful in glory " before they have reached it, and 
"shout aloud upon their" dying "beds." "God 
deals with them as he did with Moses when he led 
him to the top of Pisgah and gave him a prospect of 
the Holy Land, only with this difference : his view 
was a substitute for possession, while their look is 
to render the passage easier and to make them hasten 
to the goodly mountain of Lebanon. Such a death 
the apostle valued more than the continuance of 
life : all his concern was to " finish his course with 
joy ;" and the assured hope of this would animate 
thousands and reconcile them to all the trials they 
endure. It is desirable and valuable with regard 
to both themselves and others. 

The following instances, in which some of God's 
dear ministering servants, as representatives of many 
of " like precious faith," when they reached the 
borders of the river between them and ImmanuePs 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

land, glanced at the hills and heard something of the 
harmony and inhaled the fragrance blown across, 
are replete with interest, and should not fail to be 
read with profit. The surest method for the attain- 
ment of happiness in death is to live in the strenuous 
cultivation of practical and progressive religion. 
" And, besides this, giving all diligence, add to your 
faith virtue, and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowl- 
edge, temperance, and to temperance, patience, and 
to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly 
kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity. For 
if these things be in you, and abound, they make 
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in 
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he 
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar 
off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his 
old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give dil- 
igence to make your calling and election sure : for 
if ye do these things, ye shall never fall : for so an 
entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly 
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Sa- 
viour Jesus Christ." 



HOW THEY DIED. 



Archibald Alexander, D. D. 

To his pastor, the Rev. W. E. Schenck, D. D., 
on the Thursday preceding his death, Dr. Alexander 
said, " My children are all with me. The church 
of which you are pastor is prosperous and flourish- 
ing. The Seminary faculty is again full, and the 
institution is in an excellent condition. The more 
I reflect upon the matter, the more all things seem 
to combine to make me perfectly willing to enter 
into my rest. The Lord has very graciously and 
tenderly led me," he added, closing his eyes and 
clasping his hands in a devotional manner, " all the 
days of my life — yes, all the days of my life. And 
he is now iviih me still. In him I enjoy perfect 
peace" 

13 



14 HOW THEY DIED. 



Eev. Wells Andkews. 

Mr. Andrews, during his last illness, said to a 
Methodist minister who visited him, "Tell your 
people, for me, to work for Jesus. Let my Method- 
ist and Presbyterian brethren all work for Jesus." 
A short time before he died he gently whispered, 
"All is well! all is well!" 



Hezekiah Balch, D. D. 

When a friend first mentioned to Dr. Balch his 
approaching death and his entrance into the world 
of retribution, " Sir," said he, " with such a Re- 
deemer as the Lord Jesus Christ for my dependence, 
I scorn to be afraid to die." Not many days after- 
ward he resumed his soul-rejoicing theme. " Sir," 
said he, " if it were not for the infinite atonement 
of the Lord Jesus Christ as the dependence of my 
soul before God, I would not go into eternity for ten 
thousand worlds. Without this, if I had strength, 
I would be running through the woods and tearing 
the trees for very agony ; but with this for my re- 
liance, here I am, sir, calmly awaiting the mighty 
Master's call." 



HOW THEY DIED. 15 

Lyman Beecher, D. D. 

On the day before Dr. Beecher's death the veil 
was rent and a vision of glory was vouchsafed to 
him. He called, " Mother, mother ! come sit beside 
me. I have had a glorious vision of heaven !" His 
countenance was luminous, his utterance was full 
and strong as in his best days. He continued : " I 
think I have begun to go. Oh, such scenes as I 
have been permitted to behold ! I have seen the 
King of glory himself. Blessed God for revealing 
thyself! I did not think I could behold such glory 
while in the flesh." He prayed in an inspired man- 
ner for some time, and then soliloquized : " Un- 
til this evening my hope was a conditional one ; 
now it is full, free, entire. Oh, glory to God !" 

His daughter, Mrs. Stowe, asked, 

" Have you any fear ?" 

u No, none at all ; and, what is wonderful, I have 
no pain, either," passing his hand over his head. 

She repeated, 

* ' I shall be satisfied, when I awake, in thy like- 
ness/ " 

" How wonderful," he answered, " that a creature 
can approach the Creator so as to awake in his like- 
ness! Oh, glorious, glorious God !" 



16 HOW THEY DIED. 

" I rejoice with you, father." 
" I know you rejoice as a pious woman, but you 
cannot enter into my experience now." 
" Father, did you see Jesus ?" 
"All was swallowed up in God himself." 
Dr. Beecher's last indication of life on the day 
of his death was a mute response to his wife re- 
peating, 

" Jesus, Lover of my soul, 
Let me to thy bosom fly." 



Eev. John D. Blair. 

When Mr. Blair found his end approaching he 
had his children called around his bed, and in an 
address to them said, " After I am gone, if it is 
asked whether I made any remarkable speech, you 
may answer, * No/ but that I am not without hope 
and confidence. I depend on Him in whom I have 
believed. I think I have a right to plead his 
promises of mercy. He has never left me nor for- 
saken me. He has supported me all along, and, I 
believe, will do so still. I know that I must pass 
through the dark valley and shadow of death, but I 
think I am prepared for God's will, and that I shall 



HOW THEY DIED. 17 

be ready when he shall call me home. ( Lord Jesus, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit/ " 



Eev. Samuel Blair. 

As Mr. Blair approached his end he expressed 
the strongest desire to depart and be with Christ, 
and but a minute or two before his departure he 
exclaimed, " The Bridegroom is come, and we shall 
now have all things." 



Samuel Blatchfoed, D. D. 

Dr. Blatchford, when conversing, on his death- 
bed, with reference to his departure, said, " I feel 
like a passenger waiting to be carried over Jordan," 
and at another time, when in great distress of body, 
" It is harder crossing the stream than I had an- 
ticipated, but the beauties of Canaan are not at all 
diminished by it." When a member of his family 
proposed to take him some nourishment, he replied, 
with a sweet smile which lighted up his counte- 
nance, almost pallid in death, " My eating days are 



18 HOW THEY DIED. 

almost over, but my banquet days are all before me. 
Oh, eternity, eternity ! How bright will be its 
shining! How rich will be its joys!" 



Rev. Reid Bracken. 

A little while before his decease, Mr. Bracken, in 
addressing his children, said, " I have a comfortable 
hope of meeting my Saviour in peace and spending 
eternity in happiness. It is of the greatest con- 
sequence to have a hope that maketh not ashamed. 
It is my sincere desire that all my children should 
be prepared. Give all diligence to make your call- 
ing and election sure. Rely upon the merits of 
Christ as the only foundation of hope." 



John Breckinridge, D. D. 

One of the last sentences Dr. Breckinridge uttered 
was, " I am a poor sinner who have worked hard 
and had constantly before my mind one great ob- 
ject — the conversion of the world." Again he said, 
" Nothing is impossible with God." And a little 
after, " God is with me." 



HOW THEY DIED. 19 

James M. Brown, D. D. 

In the evening one said to Dr. Brown, " I think 
you are almost on the top of Pisgah, in sight of the 
Promised Land." In a few moments he raised his 
voice with a strength that seemed supernatural, and 
sang the stanza : 

"Could we but climb where Moses stood, 
And view the landscape o'er, 
Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, 
Could fright us from the shore." 

He lay quietly until midnight, when he was heard 
to whisper, " Glory be to God !" A friend having 
said to him, " You are very near to glory ," he re- 
plied, " Yes, I hope I am." And when asked if he 
wished to leave any testimony for the religion of 
Christ, he said, " I trust I have done it," and spoke 
no more. 



Samuel Buell, D. D. 

When asked on his death-bed concerning the state 
of his mind, Dr. Buell requested his friends, in order 
to obtain it, to read the seventeenth chapter of John 
repeating several times the twenty-fourth verse : 
" Father, I will that they also whom thou hast 



20 HOW THEY DIED. 

given me be with me where I am, that they may 
behold the glory which thou hast given me." 



Rev. Phineas Camp. 

When Mr. Camp was asked if he felt prepared to 
depart, he replied, " Yes, yes ! I settled that ques- 
tion long before this. This trying hour would be 
insupportable were it not for my hope in Christ." 
His last words were, " Farewell, world, farewell !" 



Rev. John Carmichael. 

Mr. CarmichaeFs death was a scene of uncommon 
triumph, and the last expression that fell from his 
lips was, " Oh that I had a thousand tongues, that 
I might employ them all in inviting sinners to 
Christ," 



Lewis Cheeseman, D.D. 

In an hour of trial and suffering shortly before 
his death Dr. Cheeseman said, " I am not afraid to 
die, for I know that my Redeemer liveth." 



how they died. 21 

Rev. Ebenezer Cheever. 

Among Mr. Cheever's last conscious words were, 
" God, be merciful !" " O death, where is thy sting?" 
" Come, dear Father — oh, come quickly !" and then, 
turning to his wife, he said, " Don't do anything to 
keep me here." 



Rev. Mr. Cheney. 

The last day of his life Mr. Cheney prayed at 
frequent intervals, as his strength permitted, for the 
building up of the Church and the spread of the 
gospel. He said, " I have been an unworthy servant, 
but the blood of Christ can atone for all ;" and often, 
apparently oblivious to all around him, he ejaculated, 
" Precious Saviour !" and other words of trust and 
prayer. 



Charles Coffin, D.D. 

The calm faith and the beautiful trust with which, 
in his last illness, Dr. Coffin met the announcement 
of his physician that all earthly hope had passed 



22 HOW THEY DIED. 

were thus expressed : " I am well aware of it, sir, 
but I am in the hands of a Being who cannot err. 
He doeth all things well." As one of his constant 
and faithful nurses was examining his pulse he 
asked, " How do you find it ? How many does it 
beat ?" When told that the strokes were few and 
feeble, he said, "All is well : 

" ' Jesus can make a dying bed 
Feel soft as downy pillows are.' " 



Henry G. Comingo, D. D. 

"To-morrow," said Dr. Comingo, "is the first 
Sabbath of December, and I shall spend it in 
heaven." Then, clasping his hands, with light 
from heaven upon his face, he exclaimed, 

" ' Oh, glorious hour ! Oh, blest abode ! 
I shall be near and like my God.' " 



Samuel Crothers, D. D. 

"The time has come for me to take my stand 
with the great multitude which no man can number, 
clothed in white robes, with palms in their hands." 



HOW THEY DIED. 23 

Joshua N. Danforth, D. D. 

When told that the physician thought his condi- 
tion very critical, and asked if it was well with him, 
Dr. Danforth replied, " How should it be otherwise 
than peaceful and happy, since Jesus has died for 
me ? All is well. I have nothing to regret in the 
way of God's dealing with me. Just right, just 
right — all right!" 



Rev. Jonathan Dickinson. 

The Rev. Mr. Johnes, of Morristown, who was 
with Mr. Dickinson just before his death, asked him 
concerning his prospects, and his reply was, " Many 
days have passed between God and my soul in which 
I have solemnly dedicated myself to him, and I trust 
what I have committed unto him he is able to keep 
until that day." 



Rev. Giles Doolittle. 

As the light of earth grew dim and the splendors 
of the heavenly world were bursting upon his vision, 



24 HOW THEY DIED. 

Mr. Doolittle, raising both hands, exclaimed, " O 
death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy 
victory ?" 



Samuel Finley, D. D. 

The Eev. Elihu Spencer called to see Dr. Finley 
on the day preceding his death, and said, " I have 
come, dear sir, to see you confirm by facts the gospel 
you have been preaching. Pray, sir, how do you 
feel ?" To which he replied, " Full of triumph. 
I triumph through Christ. Nothing clips my wings 
but the thought of my dissolution being prolonged. 
Oh that it were to-night ! My very soul thirsts 
for eternal rest." Mr. Spencer asked him what he 
saw in eternity to excite such vehement desires. 
" I see," said he, " the eternal love and goodness of 
God ; I see the fullness of the Mediator ; I see the 
love of Jesus. Oh to be dissolved and to be with 
him ! I long to be clothed with the complete right- 
eousness of Christ." 

Dr. Finley spent the rest of the evening in taking 
leave of his friends and in addressing affectionate 
counsels and exhortations to those of his children 
who were present. He would frequently cry out, 



HOW THEY DIED. 25 

" Why move the tardy hours so slow ?" The next 
day brought him the release for which he had so 
long panted. He was no longer able to speak, but, 
a friend having desired him to indicate by a sign 
whether he still continued to triumph, he lifted his 
hand and articulated, " Yes." 



Andrew Flinn, D. D. 

In his last moments Dr. Flinn took an affectionate 
farewell of his mourning family and friends, and 
then, with perfect composure, raised his hands and 
eyes to heaven and said, " Jesus, into thy hands I 
commend my spirit." 



Rev. Joshua E. Ford. 

Mr. Ford had been a missionary at Beirut, Syria. 
The evening before his death, on being informed of 
his critical state, he said, " The Lord gave, and the 
Lord hath taken away : blessed be the name of the 
Lord." To the question, " Would you not like to 
get well and go back to Syria ?" he replied, " Yes, 



26 HOW THEY DIED. 

if it is the Lord's will ; his will is best. The Lord 
is jealous for his work, and he will take care of it." 
When his wife asked what she would do without 
hirn, he said, " The Lord is better to you than ten 
thousand husbands. The Lord is your Shepherd ; 
you shall not want." — " What will our children do 
without their father ?" — " When my father and my 
mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." 
He was frequent and earnest to the last in his 
ascriptions of praise to God and his expressions 
of entire peace in Christ. 



Rev. Robert S. Fullerton. 

In the last connected conversation which Mr. 
Fullerton held with his family and friends he said, 
" I am so inexpressibly happy that I must talk 
to you a little while. I wish to say that I would 
not exchange this bed of pain for crowns and king- 
doms. I did not think that I should be permitted 
to enter the Land of Beulah while here on earth, 
but I have entered it ;" " Do not think that this is 
excitement : I am as calm as ever I was, but my 
peace and joy are beyond expression ;" " Oh, can it 



HOW THEY DIED. 27 

be that God would thus reveal himself to one so 
unworthy ? Heaven is indeed begun below." 



Eev. Samuel R. Gayley. 

Mr. Gayley had at one time been afraid of death. 
In the final hour, when Mr. Nevius, his fellow- 
missionary, asked, " What new views have you now ?" 
he said, " It is not dying, it is not a cessation ; it is 
just living on. I have no language to express it." 
When Mr. Nevius added, " It is the expanding of 
spiritual life into eternal life," "Yes," said Mr. 
Gayley, eagerly • " it's just that ;" and then, as see- 
ing things unutterable, he said to the brethren near, 
u I am wiser than you are to-day. You do not 
know what is before you : I know what my work 



Rev. Robert Glenn. 

When the deep waters were approaching Mr. 
Glenn's footsteps, a ministerial brother inquired if 
he felt that he was on the Rock. He replied, " Yes, 
but as a poor guilty sinner, with no hope but in 
precious atoning blood." 



28 HOW THEY DIED. 

Charles Hall, D. D. 

When Dr. Hall was told that he was dying, he 
called his wife from the adjoining room, and, throw- 
ing his arms around her neck, he exclaimed, "Tri- 
umph in death ! Triumph in death !" She asked, 
" Is it triumph in Jesus ?" — " Yes," he answered, 
" in Jesus." 



Jephtha Harrison, D. D. 

In the near prospect of death, Dr. Harrison said, 
" For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. All 
is right with me." 



Rev. Samuel Hibben. 

On the morning of his death, having been asked 
by a friend if his faith in the Saviour of sinners 
was still unwavering, Mr. Hibben looked into the 
face of the inquirer and wept, then, with a counte- 
nance beaming with inexpressible joy and dignity, 
but with faltering tongue, said, "First Timothy, 
first chapter, fifteenth verse: 'It is a faithful 
saying — ' " Here voice and utterance failed, and, 



HOW THEY DIED. 29 

his father having carried out the text — " that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom 
I am chief— "That's it! that's it!" he said. 
When his father, at his request, read to him 1 Peter 
i., the reading of which seemed to comfort him, 
he remarked, " That is sufficient." A few moments 
after this, opening his eyes, beaming with angelic 
lustre, and turning them toward his weeping wife 
and mother and then toward heaven he said, 

" A guilty, weak and helpless worm, 
On thy kind arms I fall : 
Be thou my strength and righteousness, 
My Jesus and my all." 

Soon a parting and final adieu to those present 
closed the triumphant scene. 



Charles Hodge, D.D., LL.D. 

Dr. Hodge died, with all his family around him, 
as the setting sun, glorifying the lower heavens with 
the peaceful brightness of his faith and love. To a 
weeping daughter he said, " Dearest, don't weep. 
To be absent from the body is to be with the Lord. 



30 HOW THEY DIED. 

To be with the Lord is to see him. To see the 
Lord is to be like him." 



Kev. William S. Huggins. 

On the morning of the day in which Mr. Huggins 
entered into rest he chimed his feeble voice to 
"Rock of Ages," and other dying-room melodies 
which his friends tried to sing. He said, "It is 
pleasant to go down into the valley, and to go up 
on the other side." Being reminded that it was 
Sabbath morning, and asked if he had anything to. 
say for his people about to assemble, he said he had 
a great deal to say, but was satisfied with the thought 
that he had said all to them while in health. He 
struggled, however, to articulate such messages as, 
"Tell them to be active and zealous Christians," 
" To throw away the world out of their thoughts, 
and the Lord will direct their minds in all things." 



Rev. David Hughes. 

During his final sickness Mr. Hughes always 
expressed the fullest assurance of his peace with 



HOW THEY DIED. 31 

God. On the night before his death he sang with 
a clear voice, as expressive of his own feelings, the 

hymn, 

"Father, I long, I faint, to see 

The place of thine abode." 



Eev. E. R. Johnson. 

About the last of Mr. Johnson's utterances as he 
drew near the gate of the city was " It is all light. 
Heaven is bright !" 



John King, D. D. 

A short time before his decease Dr. King said to 
the Rev. David Elliot, D. D., as he sat by his bed- 
side, " I have now no doubt of my love to God. He 
is the most glorious of all objects ; no other can be 
compared to him." 



Rev. John Kirkpateick. 

The day preceding his death Dr. Kirkpatrick, 
speaking of the comforts of the gospel, said, " They 
are as calm as heaven and as permanent as iminor- 



32 HOW THEY DIED. 

tality." An hour or two before he breathed his 
last, having been apparently engaged for some time 
in prayer, he clasped his hands and exultingly ex- 
claimed, " Thanks be to God, I have obtained the 
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 



Heney Kollock, D.D. 

As a brother in the ministry approached the bed 
of Dr. Kollock a very short time before he fell 
asleep in Jesus, he took his hand and uttered, with 
some effort to speak distinctly, the following passage : 
" Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all 
comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations, 
that we may be able to comfort them which are in 
any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves 
are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of 
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abound- 
eth by Christ." 



William Latta, D.D. 

As Dr. Latta's son, the Eev. W. W. Latta, with 
a dear relative and a member of his congregation, 



HOW THEY DIED. 33 

sat by his bedside the evening before his decease, he 
exclaimed, " What is that light shining directly 
above us ?" When asked by his son if he thought 
he had glimpses of the celestial world, he replied, 
" I behold the Saviour in his glory. I can see the 
very wheels of his chariot of salvation." After a 
pause he added, " Blessed Saviour ! may my arms 
be thrown open wide that I may be prepared to 
embrace thee the moment I am ushered into thine 
immediate divine presence." At another time he 
said, " It has been the prayer of my life that I might 
be permitted to glorify my Saviour on my death- 
bed, and God has granted me the earnest longings 
of my heart." When told that his death was very 
near, he exclaimed, " Can this indeed be death ? If 
so, how sweet a thing it is to die !" When asked 
whether he would rather recover and tarry yet a 
little longer on the earth, he replied, " I would rather 
a thousand times depart now and be where Jesus is." 



James Laurie, D. D. 

On Sunday, the day preceding his death, Dr. 
Laurie requested that the hymn "Jerusalem my 



34 HOW THEY DIED. 

happy home " might be sung that morning in his 
church. His last words were, " It is well." 



John B. Linn, D.D, 

Dr. Linn, on the evening of his death, retired 
about half-past ten o'clock, but scarcely had his 
head touched the pillow when he said to his wife, 
" I feel something burst within me. Call the family 
together. I am dying." Instantly his utterance 
was choked by a stream of blood. Recovering a 
little strength, he exclaimed, with hands clasped 
and eyes uplifted, " Lord Jesus, pardon my trans- 
gressions and receive my soul," and when he had 
said this his spirit had fled. 



Rev. Charles H. Lloyd. 

Mr. Lloyd died in service as a missionary to 
Africa. " Thy will be done !" was his submissive 
prayer and his only anxiety. To a friend who was 
conversing with him a short time before his death 
he said, " When I am dead, I wish you would bury 
me near the tree standing about thirty feet from the 



HOW THEY DIED. 35 

door of your new chapel. Mrs. Lloyd will enclose 
the spot and erect my tombstone there, where all 
your Sabbath worshipers can see it as they go up to 
worship. As they look it may be they will remem- 
ber that the dead man came to preach to them. 
Thus I wish, hope and pray that my grave may 
preach the gospel when I am gone." 



John M. Lowkie, D. D. 

As his end drew near Dr. Lowrie called his family 
around him, and after addressing a kind word to 
each one he asked them to sing the hymn " Just as 
I am, without one plea," with the chorus, " Happy 
day, happy day." Being afterward asked how he 
felt in reference to death, he said, " I do not feel 
that awful solemnity which I always supposed I 
would when about to appear in the presence of God. 
I do not seem fully to appreciate the peculiar posi- 
tion I am in, and yet I feel my hope is founded 
upon an intelligent view of the plan of salvation 
through the grace of Christ." After resting a few 
minutes he said, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. 
Why, oh why, do thy chariots tarry? I long to 
depart and be with Christ." The last intelligible 



36 HOW THEY DIED. 

words he uttered were, " Victory ! Triumphant 
victory !" 



Rev. James Y. McGinnes. 

Twice or thrice was the adversary permitted sorely 
to assail Mr. MeGinnes in his final hours, but the 
result in every instance was increased peace and 
joy in the Holy Ghost. " I have," said he, " read of 
the valley of the shadow of death, but now I know 
what it is from experience. But, blessed be God! 
he is with me ; his rod and staff comfort me." 



Eeasmus D. Macmaster, D.D. 

In his extreme illness several passages of Script- 
ure were repeated in Dr. Macmaster's hearing as 
appropriate to his condition, when he said, "Oh 
how much of precious matter is contained in God's 
word ! Tell our dear young men to incorporate it 
abundantly in their sermons." Shortly after this, 
reference was made to his last sermon and its precious 
text — " I know whom I have believed, and am per- 
suaded that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed to him against that day " — when he said. 



HOW THEY DIED. 37 

"That is it; that expresses my views and feelings 
now." — "You trust, doctor, that he is your Sav- 
iour?" — " I know/' was his reply. To another friend 
he said, " I die in the strength of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, the eternal Son of God, who redeemed us 
from all iniquity." A little later he said, " Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit, redeemed, washed, sanctified 
by the blood of the cross. I commit myself to thee 
and thy keeping, who art the Resurrection and the 
Life." He lay for some time with his eyes intently 
fixed upward. At length his brother said, " Why 
do you look so earnestly, as if to heaven?" — "I see 
the heavens opened," he replied, " and Jesus on the 
right hand of God." Being asked, " Is Jesus with 
you now ?" though the power of speech was almost 
gone, he answered, " Yes." And when told that 
he must rest in the arms of Jesus like a little 
child, a smile lighted his countenance and his 
head bowed the acquiescence which his lips could 
scarcely speak. In subdued tones the company 
around his bedside then sang the hymn contain- 
ing the following verse: 

" Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood 
Shall never lose its power, 
Till all the ransomed Church of God 
Be saved to sin no more." 



38 HOW THEY DIED. 

Rev. Charles B. Magill. 

To the inquiry, propounded by his mother, " Is 
Jesus precious?" Mr. MagilPs prompt reply was, 
" Precious — very precious ! Precious all the time." 
To the question, " Do you love Jesus more than you 
do mother?" he said, "Yes, yes! and you know 
what that means." Perfect love had cast out all 
fear of death, and his victory over sin and Satan, 
earth and death, was apparent to every weeping eye. 



Erskine Mason, D.D. 

When the last moment came, Dr. Mason declared, 
It is all bright and clear." 



Hugh Mair, D.D. 

A little while before his death, Dr. Mair, being 
asked if his mind was peaceful, answered, u I have 
no particular anxiety. If God be for us, who can 
be against us?" and then repeated the passage, 
gathering himself up, apparently, into an attitude 
corresponding with its triumphant tone. 



HOW THEY DIED. 39 

William Morrison, D. D. 

On Sabbath morning Dr. Morrison said to his 
wife, " You know that the Sabbath has always been 
my best day, and my employment then my best 
employment. But this is the last Sabbath I shall 
spend on earth. In a short time I shall be spend- 
ing an everlasting Sabbath." He added, with a 
smile, " Will not that be a blessed exchange ?" In 
the evening he uttered a most solemn and affection- 
ate prayer, in the course of which he intimated that 
it would be the last prayer he should ever offer. 
After this he took each of his family affectionately 
by the hand, and then said, " Now, Lord, what wait 
I for?" He expired just as the words "Come, 
come, Lord Jesus !" had passed from his lips. 



David Nelson, M. D. 

When Dr. Nelson became satisfied that his end 
was near, he called his wife and children around 
him and said,." My Master calls : I am going home. 
Kiss me, my children, and take your last farewell, 
for I shall soon be in a state of insensibility, and 



40 HOW THEY DIED. 

shall not know you." He then most tenderly and 
impressively addressed one of his children, who he 
feared had not entered on the religious life, and on 
the promise to serve the Lord being given he turned 
over and said, " It is well;" and these were his last 
words. 



Charles Nisbet, D.D. 

Even after Dr. Nisbet lost the power of convers- 
ing with those around him his mind was evidently 
absorbed in communion with God. He died with 
" Holy, holy, holy !" upon his lips. 



Eev. Joseph Patterson. 

The evening before his death Mr. Patterson re- 
quested his wife to read the one hundred and third 
psalm, and when she had done so he remarked, " I 
have been trying all my life to come up to the tone 
and spirit of that psalm, and at length I believe I 
can." Awaking unwell on the subsequent morning, 
and becoming sensible that the time of his departure 
was at hand, he said, " The time is come, Lord. 
Help!" and, closing his eyes, expired without a 
struggle. 



how they died. 41 

Eev. John Peebles. 

The answers of Mr. Peebles to inquiries respect- 
ing his state of mind gave satisfactory evidence that 
he had no dread of death, resting his hopes entirely 
on the mediation of the Redeemer. In view of his 
departure and the glories of the upper sanctuary, he 
more than once exclaimed, a Oh, that will be joy- 
ful !" 



Eev. Roswell Pettibone. 

"It is a solemn thing to die. I have always 
thought I should be one that would start back, but 
I don't feel so now. It is all of Christ. Nothing 
else. If ifc were not for Christ, we should all be 
gone." 



Matthew La Rue Perrine, D. D. 

To a ministerial friend who visited him Dr. 
Perrine said, " God makes you the witness of my 
concluding scenes of life. Shall I tell you of my 
hope ? Oh how wonderful that hope is ! How 
passing wonder that it should be mine ! Nothing of 



42 HOW THEY DIED. 

the kind — nothing like it in the universe. It makes 
more than a prince of worse than a pauper. My 
hope is all Christian. It is all Christ — our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who is our hope. The same God that 
brings me to heaven will keep me there, or I should 
never keep myself even there. It is the grace of 
the Father, the prevalent mediation of the Son, the 
energy of the eternal Spirit, that I shall for ever 
need, and also for ever enjoy. It is here I find the 
Rock of Ages. My sins — wonderful to tell or to 
know — are not too great to be forgiven, not so great 
as his grace, not so enslaving as he is absolving. 
What wonderful deliverance ! What I want is to 
have grace to the end, that I may not dishonor such 
a Saviour; that I may glorify him before I dis- 
appear to the living ; that I may recommend him 
to all others when they see what he enables me to 
suffer and vanquish, and to enjoy in him. The glory 
all his own for ever !" 



Eev. George D. Porter. 

During his illness Mr. Porter's sufferings were 
extreme, he being obliged to sit in his chair for 
nearly a month. To his family and to friends ex- 



HOW THEY DIED. 43 

pressing sympathy for him, his uniform reply was, 
" It is all right. The Lord doeth all things well ;" 
and never a murmur escaped his lips. He loved 
much to hear his children sing for him the hymns 
" Just as I am," etc., and " Jesus paid it all," etc. 
A calm and unwavering faith in the Lord and Re- 
deemer supported him down to the Jordan and over 
to the promised land. 



Samuel Ralston, D.D. 

On the day of his death, as the struggle came on, 
Dr. Ralston calmly felt his own pulse, found it sink- 
ing away, and exclaimed, without faltering or agita- 
tion, " I am ready. I am a sinner saved by grace. 
Tell my brethren, tell the congregation, that I die 
in the faith I so long preached. I die relying upon 
the meritorious righteousness of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. What a blessing to have such a Rock!" 



William Shields Reid, D.D. 

During his illness Dr. Reid was asked whether, 
if he had his whole life to live again, he would 
spend it in preaching the gospel. He replied, " Oh 



44 HOW THEY DIED. 

yes ! Had I my whole life to live again, I should 
only preach with the more earnestness Jesus Christ 
and him crucified. He is the only Saviour, and he 
is all-sufficient." His last words, uttered with an 
inexpressible sense of repose in his face, were, 
"There is peace in death as well as in life." 



John H. Rice, D.D. 

After many distresses of body, in which his mind 
painfully sympathized to a degree of morbid de- 
pression, Dr. Rice at length, when all were awaiting 
his departure, experienced a singular relief. Turn- 
ing suddenly to Mrs. Rice, throwing his arms 
around her neck, and looking in her face with a 
clear, bright eye beaming with heavenly joy, he ex- 
claimed, " Mercy is triumphant." As some doubted 
what the last word was, he made a fresh effort and 
said, " Triumphant !" when instantly his head fell 
and he was gone. 



Rev. James Rodgeks, D. D. 

From one of Dr. Rodgers's children his sufferings 
elicited the sympathizing expression, " Poor father!" 



HOW THEY DIED. 45 

to which he at once replied, "Not poor father. 
When Christ is rich, how can I be poor?" To 
some inquiries as to his state of mind he answered, 
" I have no fear to die and no desire to live ; for 
me death has no terrors and life no charms." He 
desired the seventeenth chapter of John's Gospel to 
be read to him, and on awaking after a brief slum- 
ber, his mind recurring to it, he said, " Oh that 
weight of glory!" 



Rev. Ralph Robinson. 

On the Sabbath before his decease the ordinance 
of the Lord's Supper was administered to Mr. Rob- 
inson. The hymns " Rock of ages, cleft for me," 
and " Jesus, Lover of my soul," were sung. In the 
midst of the exercises he broke out with the excla- 
mation, " Grace, grace! Grace from the foundation 
to the top-stone." At the close of the services he 
was asked if he would not like to say a word to 
those present. He remarked, "I have been con- 
templating to-day the plan of salvation. The plan 
of salvation is so wonderful ! It is the wonder of 
angels. I would say to every one of you, Press on 



46 HOW THEY DIED. 

in the strait and narrow way that leads to eternal 
life. Trust in Christ alone for salvation. In every 
duty in your several relations be faithful. Take 
God's word for your guide. Be faithful unto death, 
and the Lord will give you a crown of life. Amen." 



John B. Romeyn, D.D. 

^^The last words Dr. Romeyn uttered were, " Bless- 
ed Jesus, while passing through the dark valley of 
death, do thou spread underneath me thine ever- 
lasting arms. Come, Lord Jesus! Receive me 
into thy kingdom, which thou hast prepared for thy 
chosen ones, that I may join in singing hallelujahs 
for ever and ever." 



Rev. Moses Russell. 

Mr. Russell's physician said to one of his family, 
" Though I have witnessed many death-scenes, I 
have never before known the Christian's love of 
Christ gain so complete a victory." And his own 
words were, "As I have lived in the faith of God, 



HOW THEY DIED. 47 

I can die in it. God has never deceived me, and 
he will not now. My belief is Christ and him 
crucified. Christ is my ' all and in all/ " 



Eev. Ashbel G. Simonton. 

Mr. Simonton was a missionary to Brazil. In 
his last illness his sister asked him, " Have you any 
message for the friends at home?" — " Nothing 
special," was the reply. " Tell them I loved them 
to the end." — "Have you any message for the 
Board ?" — " Tell them to go on with their work." 
" Any message for your church in Rio, where you 
will be so much missed ?" — " God will raise up an- 
other to fill my place : he will do his own work 
with his own instruments." Seeing his sister con- 
vulsed with emotion, he said, " We can only lean 
on the everlasting arm and be quiet." 



Josiah D. Smith, D. D. 

When Dr. Smith's utterance was so feeble as 
scarcely to be understood, there was one affectionate 



48 HOW THEY DIED. 

ear which caught the words that were meant for 
none but the Master to hear : " The lowest place ! 
The lowest place, dear Jesus !" 



Miles P. Squier, D.D. 

The last time Dr. Squier's household were gath- 
ered at his bed for family prayers he looked around 
on them and said, " I love you all, but I desire to 
leave you." The last part of 1 Cor. xv. was read, 
and the twenty-third psalm, "The Lord is my 
Shepherd," was sung. Dr. Squier said, "That is 
not quite it. I have done with the present and 
past, and have only to do with the other world. 
Sing c My heavenly home/" They sang, "My home 
is in heaven, my rest is not here," etc., in a part of 
which he joined vocally. 



Ichabod S. Spencer, D.D. 

Dr. Spring thus relates his parting interview with 
Dr. Spencer : " I said to him, l Brother Spencer, I 
am afraid you are about to leave us. ? He replied, 



HOW THEY DIED. 49 

i I think so/ I took his hand, and he said, ( You 
see, I am strong. I may rally, but it is more than 
probable that I shall leave you by to-morrow morn- 
ing/ — >' Is it peace with you, brother V His body 
was in agony ; he tossed his head on the pillow and 
replied, 'It is all peace.' He paused, and, fixing 
his piercing eye upon me, he said, i I am afraid it is 
too much peace. I cannot discover in myself those 
evidences of personal godliness which justify me in 
enjoying such abundant peace/ I could not repress 
a smile at these sweet words, and then reminded 
him of those words of the Lord Jesus when he said, 
' I am come that they might have life, and that they 
might have it more abundantly' He simply replied, 
4 Pray with me/ and then called his family around 
his bed, where we knelt and prayed together for the 
last time." 



Robert Steel, D. D. 

Dr. Steel gave up his soul to God, saying — or 
rather whispering — to a beloved brother (the Rev. 
Mr. Belville), as he put his hand upon his heart, 
"I have a peace here that passeth all understanding" 



50 how they died. 

Eev. Joseph Stockton. 

Having requested the fifteenth chapter of John 
to be read, and joining in prayer with a ministerial 
brother, Mr. Stockton remarked, "The battle is 
nearly fought. Christ is with me." He frequent- 
ly prayed, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ; thy 
servant waits." 



Rev. Daniel Stratton. 

In his last days Mr. Stratton used frequent ejacu- 
lations, such as " Complete in Christ !" " To see 
him and know him as he is !" " He has been with 
me in six troubles : in the seventh he will not for- 
sake me." He frequently dwelt upon the hymn 
commencing, " How firm a foundation, ye saints of 
the Lord !" On the day of his death, looking upon 
the loving group around him, he said, " The Lord 
bless you and keep you ; the Lord cause his face to 
shine upon you, and be gracious unto you ! The 
Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you 
and give you peace. Amen and amen !" 



HOW THEY DIED. 51 

Peter O. Studdiford, D. D. 

During his closing hours Dr. Studdiford said to 
a ministerial brother, " I feel conscious of deficien- 
cies, but the Lord has granted to me his presence 
and sustained me by his grace. I have found him 
to be a precious Saviour. I would not exchange 
my situation as a humble minister of the gospel 
for that of the greatest prince on earth, or the honor 
of serving such a Master for all the honors this 
world can give." The evening before he died his 
mind wandered, but after a season of extreme agony 
his pain suddenly left him ; his reason returned, and 
with a radiant face he exclaimed, " Let me go, for 
the day breaketh !" About two hours before his 
death, on being asked, " Is it well with you ?" he 
replied, "All is well. I know that my Redeemer 
liveth." He then repeated the first line of a favorite 
hymn, " Jesus, thou art the living Head," and of a 
psalm he often used in public worship : " Happy 
the man whose hopes rely on Israel's God." He 
then said, " Into thy hands I commit my spirit," 
and engaged in prayer, but quite inaudibly. After 
that he waved his hand, requesting those around 
him to leave the bedside, evidently desiring to be 
alone with God. 



52 HOW THEY DIED. 



Key. Samuel Tait. 



On his death-bed Mr. Tait felt much for the dear 
people for whose salvation he had so long labored, 
and literally spent his dying breath in praying for 
a revival of religion among them. And when his 
end drew nigh, a minister and friend who stood by 
his bed inquired if he found comfort now in the 
doctrines he had so long preached to others. His 
answer was, " All is peace — peace through the blood 
of Christ." 



Stephen Taylor, D.D. 

" Oh," said Dr. Taylor, during one of the severe 
paroxysms that preceded his death, " oh, my broth- 
er, I am suffering excessively — almost beyond the 
endurance of nature ; but, thanks be to God, his love 
superabounds. Oh, the precious grace of the Lord 
Jesus Christ ! Preach Christ, my brother — preach 
Christ !" 



Key. Samuel M. Templeton. 

Mr. Templeton's wife, being informed of the 
great change that had taken place in his condition, 



HOW THEY DIED. 53 

said to him immediately " Pa, you are going to leave 
us. Can you put your trust in the Saviour ?" He 
replied earnestly, " You know that I can," and after 
a moment's pause added, " The Lord Jesus Christ is 
a great Saviour," as if it would be matter of aston- 
ishment if he could not trust so great a Saviour. 
After tenderly addressing his children and leaving 
messages for absent friends and for the members of 
his congregation, he said, " I want my property used 
for the glory of God and the comfort of my family, 
and I want the plan that we have agreed on and 
practiced — that of giving one-tenth — still carried 
out. We did it w T hen we seemed to have but little, 
and God has blessed us." 



Rev. John Tennent. 

A few minutes before Mr. Tennent expired, hold- 
ing his brother William by the hand, he broke out 
into the following rapturous expressions : " Fare- 
well, my brethren; farewell, father and mother; 
farewell, world, with all thy vain delights ! Wel- 
come, God and Father ; welcome, sweet Lord Jesus ! 



54 HOW THEY DIED. 

Welcome, death ; welcome, eternity ! Amen !" Then, 
with a low voice, he said, " Lord Jesus, come, Lord 
Jesus !" 



George W. Thompson, D. D. 

When the physician announced to Dr. Thompson 
that his end was approaching, he replied calmly and 
submissively, " The Lord's will be done." Turning 
affectionately to his wife, he asked, " Mother, can 
you say that ?" Having arranged his worldly affairs, 
he took a tender leave of his wife, his son and his 
daughters, commending them to a faithful, covenant- 
keeping God. Being asked about his hope, he re- 
plied, " It is only the hope of a poor sinner." To 
his people he sent as a message, " Remember the 
words which I spake unto you while I w r as yet with 
you." Shortly afterward he said, " Sing ! Sing the 
ninetieth hymn, 6 There is a fountain filled with 
blood/" During the singing a radiant smile il- 
lumined his features. As he was sinking rapidly, 
his wife asked him, " Is Jesus precious ?" He re- 
plied, " Oh yes, he is ;" and thus calmly, peacefully, 
he fell asleep in Jesus. 



HOW THEY DIED. 55 

Rev. John C. Thom. 

During his illness Mr. Thom was continually 
speaking of the goodness of God and of the precious- 
ness of Christ. Referring to his ministry, he said, 
" It seems to me that I have new views of the glory 
of the Saviour, and that if I am spared I can preach 
as I have never before done." When asked by a 
friend if he knew his wife, who stood at his bed- 
side, he gave no reply. When asked again who was 
speaking to him, he could not tell ; but when asked 
still further if he knew Christ, he replied, with a 
smile, " Oh yes ! He is all my salvation and all 
my joy." When his tongue seemed to have lost 
the power of speech, with the audible whisper 
" Heaven!" on his lips, he sank into unconscious- 
ness and calmly breathed his life away. 



Rev. E. R. Tucker. 

Mr. Tucker, just before he expired, said, "None 
but Jesus," repeating it three times with emphasis, 
and added, " My soul thirsfceth for God." 



56 HOW THEY DIED. 



Rev. Jacob Tuttee. 

Only a day or two before he died Mr. Tuttle was 
heard singing as cheerfully as a child the psalm : 

" My spirit looks to God alone ; 
My rock and refuge is his throne ; 
In all my fears, in all my straits, 
My soul on his salvation waits." 



Rev. John P. Vandyke. 

In his last illness Mr. Vandyke was sustained by 
divine grace. Once he exclaimed, "Oh that the 
happy hour were come, that I might change my 
faith to sight ! It is better to depart and be with 
Christ than to remain here." When asked, " Have 
you no fears?" he replied, "Not lately. I have 
learned to be as a little child, and trust for all 
things. I know that He who has promised is able 
to do all that he has promised." 



HOW THEY DIED. 57 

Rev. Benjamin J. Wallace. 

On the afternoon of the day before his death, 
after a moment of what seemed to be rapturous con- 
templation, Mr. Wallace said, " Oh, the inexpress- 
ible glory, the ineffable sweetness, of our Saviour ! 
You must come to the cross. Cling to our Saviour. 
Lay hold of the cross in simple, childlike faith." 
He wanted to hear some of the promises, and the 
second verse of the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah was 
repeated : " When thou passest through the waters, 
I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they 
shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest through 
the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the 
flame kindle upon thee." He answered, "Yes." 
After that he said but little. His last words to his 
wife were, " I move into the light." 



Rev. Samuel Waugh. 

A little while before Mr. Waugh breathed his 
last he had his children brought to his bedside. 
Looking upon them all, he said, " My poor girls !" 



58 HOW THEY DIED. 

paused, and then asked, " What is the chief end of 
man ?" This question one of the children answered 
in the words of the Catechism : " To giorify God, 
and enjoy him for ever." After this not another 
word was spoken by him. He closed his eyes, and 
soon calmly and peacefully expired. 



Rev. Samuel D. Westekvelt. 

When it was ascertained that Mr. Westervelt 
must die, his weeping wife said to him, " My dear, 
what have you to say if it should be the will of the 
Lord to take you ?" He answered, " The will of 
the Lord be done !" It was said to him, near his 
last moments, " My heart and my strength faileth 
me, but God is the strength of my heart and my 
portion for ever." He emphatically answered, 
" Sweet, sweet !" The last words that fell from his 
quivering lips were, " They are singing in heaven." 



Henry White, D.D. 

Dr. White's physician said to him, " You have 
long preached the doctrines of the cross: do you get 



HOW THEY DIED. 59 

any new views ?" He answered, " Brighter and 
brighter," then added, "Oh, the unspeakable pre- 
ciousness of the atonement by the blood of Christ ! 
I have preached it for years, and taught others to 
preach it ; and now I know its worth." A friend 
repeated to' him the line, 

" Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love." 

He responded, "But there's a nobler rest above," 
and, pointing his finger upward, added, " There the 
wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at 
rest." 



Rev. Lewis W. Williams. 

When told that he could not recover, Mr. 
Williams replied, " Yes, yes ! The Lord's will be 
done." The next evening, being that of the prayer- 
meeting, he remarked to a gentleman present, " Re- 
member your pastor in your prayers. He has often 
prayed for you ; now you must pray for him." He 



60 HOW THEY DIED. 

would frequently say, "My work is done. His 
service was my delight, but the Lord has nothing 
more for me to do. Oh that I could sing his praise ! 
but my harp is all unstrung." 



James Patriot Wilson, D. D. 

Dr. Wilson's triumph over the fear of death was 
complete. " I have," said he, " been looking the 
case between God and myself over and over again ; 
and though I see enough to justify God in casting 
me off a thousand times, and more, my conviction 
of my interest in Christ is so firm that I cannot 
make myself afraid. The only thing I fear is that I 
have not fears enough." He remarked on the last 
Sabbath evening of his life, " I am almost home, 
and I thank God that I am. I went astray from 
him, but in his rich mercy he brought me back. I 
am unworthy of the least of his mercies ; and if I 
may lie down beside his footstool, or if he will even 
put me under it, I will take the very lowest place 
in heaven." A few hours before he died he asked 
a brother in the ministry to pray for him, and speci- 



HOW THEY DIED. 61 

fied this petition : " Pray that God will do with me 
just as he pleases." 



Rev. Robert W. Wilson. 

To the Synod, in session a week before his de- 
parture, Mr. Wilson's last message was, " Tell the 
brethren my work seems to be done. I am full 
of confidence in the Lord Jesus, for whose coming 
I wait. Give them my love and tell them to be 
faithful. I love the brethren. Ask them to pray 
for us and bid them farewell." His last words, 
spoken clearly a few moments before his spirit 
gently took its flight "to be for ever with the Lord," 
were, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly !" 



Edward W. Wright, D. D. 

Sickness, with death in prospect, did not alarm 
Dr. Wright. " I have no fears," were his quiet 
words. To go or to stay, as God might will, he 



62 HOW THEY DIED. 

seemed perfectly content, though " willing rather to 
depart." And of that departure he spoke as cheer- 
fully as one would speak of a pleasant journey. On 
one occasion, knowing that a ministerial brother to 
whom he was much attached was in the room below, 
he sent for him, not to talk — for this he was too 
weak — but just to say, "Good-bye," pleasantly — 
" Good-bye." 



i 



13 



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